Polymeric golf club head with metallic face

ABSTRACT

A golf club head includes a club face and a body. The club face is formed from a metallic material and includes a first, hitting surface, a second, rear surface that is opposite the first surface, and a flange that is separated from the second surface by a transverse distance. The body is formed from a polymeric material and includes a crown, a sole, a hosel, and a face support. The club face and the body cooperate to define a closed volume, and the face support extends to opposing sides of the flange and is operative to couple the club face to the body.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/642,626, filed onJul. 6, 2017, which is a continuation of PCT Appl. No. PCT/US16/12629,filed on Jan. 8, 2016, which claims priority to U.S. application Ser.No. 14/593,406, filed on Jan. 9, 2015, which is a continuation-in-partof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/264,109, filed on Apr. 29, 2014,which claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 61/862,341, filed Aug. 5, 2013, all of which are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a golf club having ametallic face and a polymeric body.

BACKGROUND

A golf club may generally include a club head disposed on the end of anelongate shaft. During play, the club head may be swung into contactwith a stationary ball located on the ground in an effort to project theball in an intended direction and with a desired vertical trajectory.

Many design parameters must be considered when forming a golf club head.For example, the design must provide enough structural resilience towithstand repeated impact forces between the club and the ball, as wellas between the club and the ground. The club head must conform tomaximum size requirements set by different rule setting associations,and the face of the club must not have a coefficient of restitutionabove a predefined maximum (measured according to applicable standards).Assuming that certain predefined design constraints are satisfied, aclub head design is typically quantified by the magnitude and locationof the center of gravity, as well as the head's moment of inertia aboutthe center of gravity and/or the shaft.

The club's moment of inertia relates to the club's resistance torotation (particularly during an off-center hit), and is often perceivedas the club's measure of “forgiveness.” In typical driver designs, highmoments of inertia are desired to reduce the club's tendency to push orfade a ball. Achieving a high moment of inertia generally involvesplacing mass as close to the perimeter of the club as possible (tomaximize the moment of inertia about the center of gravity), and asclose to the toe as possible (to maximize the moment of inertia aboutthe shaft).

While the moment of inertia affects the forgiveness of a club head, thelocation of the center of gravity behind the club face (and above thesole) generally affects the trajectory of a shot for a given face loftangle. A center of gravity that is positioned as far rearward (away fromthe face) and as low (close to the sole) as possible typically resultsin a ball flight that has a higher trajectory than a club head with acenter of gravity placed more forward and/or higher.

While a high moment of inertia is obtained by increasing the perimeterweighting of the club head, an increase in the total mass/swing weightof the club head (i.e., the magnitude of the center of gravity) has astrong, negative effect on club head speed and hitting distance. Saidanother way, to maximize club head speed (and hitting distance), a lowertotal mass is desired; however a lower total mass generally reduces theclub head's moment of inertia (and forgiveness).

In the tension between swing speed (mass) and forgiveness (moment ofinertia), it may be desirable to place varying amounts of mass inspecific locations throughout the club head to tailor a club'sperformance to a particular golfer or ability level. In this manner, thetotal club head mass may generally be categorized into two categories:structural mass and discretionary mass.

Structural mass generally refers to the mass of the materials that arerequired to provide the club head with the structural resilience neededto withstand repeated impacts. Structural mass is highlydesign-dependent, and provides a designer with a relatively low amountof control over specific mass distribution. On the other hand,discretionary mass is any additional mass that may be added to the clubhead design for the sole purpose of customizing the performance and/orforgiveness of the club. In an ideal club design, the amount ofstructural mass would be minimized (without sacrificing resiliency) toprovide a designer with a greater ability to customize club performance,while maintaining a swing weight that is expected by the consumer.

In the interest of minimizing the total structural mass, most metalwoods, for example, generally employ a thin metal face and hollowstructural shell formed from a high strength, lightweight metal alloy.Such a design, while effective in reducing structural mass, may involvecomplex, multi-stage manufacturing processes, and may be limited infurther advancements due to the cost prohibitive nature of more advancedalloys.

Another design factor involves the type of face style that is chosen forthe club. In metal woods, the majority of designs can be categorized aseither having a cup-face, or an edge-welded face plate. The face platedesign typically involves a substantially planar (or slightly curved)metallic plate that is fused to the body at or near the forward, faceportion of the club to form the hitting surface. This plate is typicallyinlaid into a slight recess, and welded or fused to the body at, orproximate to the edge of the plate.

A cup-faced design includes a similar metallic plate/hitting surface,however, the plate extends beyond just the forward, face portion andonto the sole/crown of the body. Such a design extends the weld-linerearward, behind the hitting surface. In this manner, the cup-facedesign can provide a slightly larger possible hitting surface, andreduces the possibility for a welded edge to affect the impactcharacteristics of the club head.

SUMMARY

A golf club head includes a club face and a body. The club face isformed from a metallic material and includes a first, hitting surface, asecond, rear surface that is opposite the first surface, and a flangethat is separated from the second surface by a transverse distance. Thebody is formed from a polymeric material and includes a crown, a sole, ahosel, and a face support. The club face and the body cooperate todefine a closed volume, and the face support extends to opposing sidesof the flange and is operative to couple the club face to the body. Inone configuration, a portion of the flange extends along a directionthat is within about 30 degrees of parallel to a portion of the firstsurface.

In one embodiment, the club face is a cup-face style design. In thisconfiguration, the hitting surface of the club face is coupled with theflange through a side-wall portion, and the side-wall portion forms anouter surface of the golf club head.

In one configuration, the flange defines a plurality of holes extendingbetween the opposing sides. As such, a portion of the face support isdisposed within each of the plurality of holes. This portion may beformed into the plurality of holes during a molding process such asinjection molding or compression molding.

In one configuration the body includes a metallic weight captured withinthe polymeric material. The metallic weight may be disposed within aband of material between the crown and the sole and adjacent a perimeterof the golf club head.

In one configuration, the hosel is integrally formed with the facesupport. The body may, for example be formed from three distinct piecesthat are fused or adhered together. As such, in one configuration, theremay be a seam disposed between the crown and the sole, between the crownand the forward portion, and between the sole and the forward portion.The seam may include at least two layers of the polymeric material thatare coupled through at least one of an adhesive or a joining processsuch as ultrasonic or laser welding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a golf club head.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a golf club head.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the golf club headprovided in FIG. 1, taken along line 3-3.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the golf club headprovided in FIG. 1, taken along line 4-4.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a golfclub head.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a golfclub head.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a golfclub head.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the rear portion of a cup-facestyle face of a golf club head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used toidentify like or identical components in the various views, FIG. 1schematically illustrates a schematic perspective view of a wood-typegolf club head 10 (i.e., “club head 10”) that generally includes a faceportion 12 (i.e., the “face 12”) and a body portion 14 (i.e., the “body14”). As generally illustrated in FIG. 2, the club head 10 may bemounted on the end of an elongate shaft 16, which may, in turn, begripped and swung by a user to impart a generally arcuate motion to theclub head 10.

The face 12 of the club head 10 may generally define a hitting surface18 that is intended to contact a golf ball during a typical swing. Thehitting surface 18 may be a planar surface, or may have a slightconvex/arcuate curvature that extends out from the club head 10 (i.e., abulge or roll curvature). Additionally, as is commonly understood, thehitting surface 18 may be disposed at an angle to a vertical plane whenthe club is held in a neutral hitting position. This angle may begenerally referred to as the loft angle or slope of the club. Wood-typeclub heads (including hybrid woods) may most commonly have a loft angleof from about 8.5 degrees to about 24 degrees, though other loft anglesare possible and have been commercially sold.

The body 14 of the club head 10 is configured to support the face 12 andto provide a connection means between the face 12 and the elongate shaft16. Referring again to FIG. 1, the body 14 may generally include a lowerportion 20 (i.e., a “sole 20”) and an upper portion 22 (i.e., a “crown22”). For the purpose of this description, the crown 22 may meet thesole 20 where the surface has a vertical tangent when the club head isheld in a neutral hitting position. In practice, a portion of the sole20 near this transition point may also be referred to as the skirt 24.Finally, the club head 10 includes a hosel 28 that is configured toreceive and/or otherwise couple with the elongate shaft 16 or shaftadapter. With a face-plate design, the body 14 may further include aforward-facing wall 26 that at least partially abuts the face 12. Axes30 further define directionally-related portions of the club head 10,including a fore-aft axis 32 extending through the face 12 (generallyindicating front and rear portions/directions of the club head 10), avertical axis 34 extending perpendicular to the fore-aft axis 32 andbetween the sole 20 and crown 22, and a toe-heel axis 36 extendingperpendicular to both the fore-aft axis 32 and the vertical axis 34.

FIGS. 3 and 4 generally illustrate schematic cross-sectional views 40,42 of one embodiment of the club head 10, taken along a vertical,fore-aft plane and respectively facing in opposite directions (i.e.,FIG. 3 is generally toe-facing, and FIG. 4 is generally heel-facing). Asshown, the body 14 may at least partially surround and/or define aninternal volume/cavity 44 that may be filled with air. While FIGS. 3 and4 illustrate the cavity 44 as being a closed cavity (i.e., isolated fromthe external environment), in other embodiments the cavity 44 may bepartially open, such as by removing a portion of one or both of thecrown 22 and sole 20.

The views 40, 42 provided in FIGS. 3 and 4 further illustrate thethin-walled nature of the crown 22 and sole 20. In one configuration,the club head may include a band of thicker material 46 disposed aboutthe perimeter of the body 14 (i.e., perimeter when viewed from thetop/above the crown 22 along the vertical axis 34) and between the crown22 and the sole 20. This band of material 46 may serve a structuralfunction by reinforcing the outward edge of the body 14 against impacts,though may also be varied throughout the club head 10 to increase themoments of inertia and/or alter the center of gravity.

The face 12 may generally be formed from a metal or metal alloy, and maybe structurally supported on the body 14 by a face support 48. The facesupport 48 may be a thicker portion of the body 14 that may support theface 12 and transfer any impact forces from the face to the remainder ofthe body 14. In one configuration, the face support 48 may be disposedonly near the perimeter 52 of the face 12, thus leaving a portion 54 ofthe rear surface 50 of the face 12 exposed to the cavity 44.

To reduce structural mass beyond what is economically viable with metalalloys, the body 14 of the club head 10 may be formed from a polymericmaterial having a yield strength that is great enough to withstand therepeated stress imparted by the ball impact. Examples of such materialsmay include certain polyamides, polyimides, polyamide-imides,polyetheretherketones (PEEK), polycarbonates, engineering polyurethanes,and/or other similar materials. In general, the polymeric material maybe either thermoplastic or thermoset, and may be unfilled, glass fiberfilled, carbon fiber filled, or may have other suitable fillers and/oradditives to promote increased strength. In one configuration, asuitable material may have a tensile strength of at least about 180 MPa,while in other configurations it may have a tensile strength of at leastabout 220 MPa.

In one configuration, the entire polymeric body 14 may be formed as asingle, continuous piece. Such a design may have strength benefits byreducing seams, weld lines, or other parting lines that may act asstress concentration points. In another configuration, the design of thebody 14 may include a single seam 60 located within the sole 20, where asole plate 62 may be subsequently bonded/fused to the body 14 to form aclosed cavity 44 (if desired). In still other designs, such asschematically shown in FIG. 7, the body 14 may be formed from three ormore polymeric components, including, for example, a crown portion 64(“crown”), a sole portion 66 (“sole”), and a forward portion 68, all ofwhich may be fused together using an adhesive or other joining processsuch as ultrasonic welding, laser welding, or the like. As shown, theforward portion 68 may include both the hosel 28 and the face support 48integrally formed from the polymeric material. In such an embodiment, aseam 60 may be disposed between the crown 64 and the sole 66, betweenthe crown 64 and the forward portion 68, and between the sole 66 and theforward portion 68. The seam 60 may, for example, include a fused oradhered lap joint that includes at least two layers of the polymericmaterial.

To provide a rigid connection between the face 12 and the body 14, theface 12 may include one or more mechanical locking features 70 disposedabout its perimeter 52. The locking features 70 are configured tomechanically interlock with a portion of the body 14 to hold the face inposition. In one configuration, the locking feature may include a flange72 that is positioned apart from the rear-facing surface 50 of the face12 and that may be embedded within the face support 48 during thefabrication of the body 14. For example, the polymer used to form thebody 14 may be over-molded around the flange 72, such that the polymercontacts and surrounds the flange 72 up to, for example, the rear-facingsurface 50 of the face 12. In this manner, the polymer may extend onopposing sides of the flange 72. Once the polymer has solidified, it mayfirmly secure the flange within the face support 48, and interfere withthe flange's ability to withdraw from the support 48. In oneconfiguration, the flange 72 is connected to the remainer of the face 12through an extension member 74 that extends from the rear surface 50 ofthe face 12 in a direction away from the hitting surface 18. In theface-plate designs, such as shown in FIGS. 3-6, this extension member 74may be entirely surrounded by polymer.

In addition to providing a rigid coupling means, the over-molded flange72 may also aid in transferring impact forces from the face 12 to thebody 14 by increasing the contact area between the face 12 and the body14 (i.e., thus lowering contact pressures and/or stress concentrationpoints). The over-molding process may also ensure that uniform contactis achieved between the flange 72 and the face support 48 across theentire surface area of the flange 72. In this manner, overmolding maypromote a more uniform force transfer than a club head with an affixedface inlay, which may only make firm contact at a plurality of discretepoints.

While suitable locking features 70 may include a variety of shapes andsizes, the example illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 is generally an“L”-shaped locking feature 70 (including the extension member 74 andflange 72) that extends from the rear surface 50 of a face-plate styleface. FIGS. 5-6 generally illustrate other locking feature designs thatmay be used to mechanically retain the face 12 within the club body 14.These examples include a dual-flange design (FIG. 5) and a radiallyinward facing “L” flange design (FIG. 6). Still other configurations mayinclude hooks, tabs, angled posts, or other such protrusions that maylikewise mechanically interlock with the body 14.

FIG. 7 provides a schematic cross-sectional view of a club head with acup-face design. As shown, the cup-face 80 includes a side-wall portion82 that extends from the perimeter of the hitting surface 18 toward therear of the club head 10. A flange 72 extends radially inward from thesidewall portion 82 of the face 12, and is mechanically secured to thebody 14 via the face support 48. In addition to serving as an exteriorsurface of the clubhead 10, the sidewall 82 may also serve a similarpurpose as the extension member 74. FIG. 8 illustrates a rear view ofthe cup-face 80, apart from the body 14. As shown, in one configuration,the flange 72 includes a plurality of holes 84. These holes 84 may beuseful during the molding process to allow molten polymer to more easilyextend to both sides of the flange 72. As such, once solidified, aportion of the face support 48 may be disposed within each of theplurality of holes 84. In one embodiment, there may be from about 5 toabout 50 holes, or from about 10 to about 40 holes, or even from about15 to about 30 holes. Additionally, each hole may have a diameter offrom about 2 mm to about 8 mm, or from about 2 mm to about 5 mm, whichmay be sufficient to allow molten polymer to flow to both sides of theflange 72.

Common to all of the above-described locking feature designs is a flange72 extending in a direction that is generally parallel to the face 12and/or may meet the sidewall 82 at about a 90 degree angle. The flange72 is separated from the rear surface 50 by a distance that issufficient to permit the polymer of the body 14 to flow between theflange 72 and the rear-facing surface 50 of the face 12 such that it canmechanically secure the face 12 and prevent the face 12 from freelywithdrawing from the body 14. In one configuration, the separationdistance may be from about 5.0 mm to about 30.0 mm. Additionally,because the face 12 may have a slight bulge/roll curvature, the term“generally parallel,” it is intended to indicate that the flange 72 isparallel to a portion of the hitting surface 18 to within about +/−30degrees. Regardless of the design, the hitting surface 18, extensionmember 74 (or sidewall 82), and flange 72 may all be formed from one ormore metallic materials.

As discussed above, the present club head 10 may be fabricated bymolding a high tensile strength polymer material into the shape of theclub body 14, while ensuring that the polymer material also over-moldscertain locking features of the metallic face 12.

In general, any traditional molding technique may be used to form thebody 14, however, injection molding may be the most straightforwardprocess. During the injection molding process, one or more molding diesmay define a molding cavity, with the flange 72 of the face 12 beingdisposed within the molding cavity. A suitable molten polymer may thenbe injected into the mold cavity such that the polymer extends toopposing sides of the flange 72. Once the polymer solidifies and/orcures, the flange 72 is then firmly held in place within the polymer.For single-piece body constructions, a molding technique, such aslost-core molding may be used to form the body. In multi-piece bodydesigns, molding techniques such as injection molding or compressionmolding may similarly be used.

Referring again to FIG. 7, in one configuration, the body 14 may includeone or more weights 90, such as captured metallic inserts, that may beused to alter the magnitude and/or position of the club head center ofmass and/or one or more moments of inertia of the club head 10. In oneconfiguration, the one or more weights 90 may be formed into the clubhead 10, for example, by overmolding the weights 90 during the moldingof one of the crown 22 or sole 20. The weights 90 may, for example, beintegrally molded into the band of material 46 disposed around theperimeter of the club head 10. In another configuration, the one or moreweights 90 may be separately adhered into a recess that is createdduring the molding process.

The one or more weights 90 may include, for example, one or moremetallic objects, such as metallic discs or metallic bands. Such aweight may increase the moment of inertia about a vertical axis, and maymove the center of mass rearward of the face. In an embodiment using ametallic band, the band may have a varying cross-sectional thickness toenable more precise control over the location of the center of mass andthe various moments of inertia.

While the best modes for carrying out the invention have been describedin detail, those familiar with the art to which this invention relateswill recognize various alternative designs and embodiments forpracticing the invention within the scope of the appended claims. It isintended that all matter contained in the above description or shown inthe accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only andnot as limiting.

“A,” “an,” “the,” “at least one,” and “one or more” are usedinterchangeably to indicate that at least one of the item is present; aplurality of such items may be present unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. All numerical values of parameters (e.g., ofquantities or conditions) in this specification, including the appendedclaims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by theterm “about” whether or not “about” actually appears before thenumerical value. “About” indicates that the stated numerical valueallows some slight imprecision (with some approach to exactness in thevalue; about or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If theimprecision provided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the artwith this ordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates atleast variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring andusing such parameters. In addition, disclosure of ranges includesdisclosure of all values and further divided ranges within the entirerange. Each value within a range and the endpoints of a range are herebyall disclosed as separate embodiment. In this description, forconvenience, “polymer” and “resin” are intended to be synonymous and toencompass resins, oligomers, and polymers. The terms “comprises,”“comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and thereforespecify the presence of stated items, but do not preclude the presenceof other items. As used in this specification, the term “or” includesany and all combinations of one or more of the listed items. In otherwords, “or” means “and/or.” When the terms first, second, third, etc.are used to differentiate various items from each other, thesedesignations are merely for convenience and do not limit the items.

1. A golf club head comprising: a club face including a hitting surface,a rear surface that is opposite the hitting surface, an extensionmember, and a flange; wherein the flange is separated from the rearsurface via the extension member; a body formed from a polymericmaterial and including a crown, a sole, a hosel, and a face support;wherein the club face and the body cooperate to define a closed volume;wherein the flange is embedded within the face support such that theface support contacts and surrounds the flange to couple the club faceto the body; and wherein the body includes one or more weights capturedwithin the polymeric material.
 2. The golf club head of claim 1, whereinthe hosel is integrally formed with the face support.
 3. The golf clubhead of claim 2, wherein the hosel and face support are integrallyformed as a forward portion of the body; and further comprising a seamdisposed between the crown and the sole, between the crown and theforward portion, and between the sole and the forward portion.
 4. Thegolf club head of claim 3, wherein the seam includes at least two layersof the polymeric material that are coupled through at least one of anadhesive or a joining process.
 5. The golf club head of claim 4, whereinthe polymeric material is a filled or unfilled polymeric material. 6.The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the one or more weights can beformed into the club head by overmolding the weights during the moldingof one of the crown or the sole.
 7. The golf club head of claim 1,wherein the one or more weights are disposed between the crown and thesole and adjacent a perimeter of the golf club head.
 8. The golf clubhead of claim 1, wherein the one or more weights can be metallicobjects, such as metallic bands.
 9. The golf club head of claim 8,wherein the metallic bands may have a varying cross-sectional thickness.10. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the body has a varying wallthickness between the face support and both of the crown and the sole.11. A golf club head comprising: a club face including a hittingsurface, a rear surface that is opposite the hitting surface, anextension member, a first flange, and a second flange; wherein the firstflange and the second flange are separated from each other via theextension member; a body formed from a polymeric material and includinga crown, a sole, a hosel, and a face support; wherein the first flangeand the second flange extend radially outward towards an exteriorsurface of the golf club head; wherein the first flange forms a portionof the hitting surface; wherein the club face and the body cooperate todefine a closed volume; wherein the second flange includes a pluralityof holes extending between opposing sides; wherein the first flange ispartially embedded within the face support; and wherein the secondflange is embedded within the face support such that the face supportcontacts and surrounds the second flange and extends within each of theplurality of holes to couple the club face to the body; wherein the bodyincludes one or more metallic weight captured within the polymericmaterial.
 12. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein the hosel isintegrally formed with the face support.
 13. The golf club head of claim12, wherein the hosel and face support are integrally formed as aforward portion of the body; and further comprising a seam disposedbetween the crown and the sole, between the crown and the forwardportion, and between the sole and the forward portion.
 14. The golf clubhead of claim 13, wherein the seam includes at least two layers of thepolymeric material that are coupled through at least one of an adhesiveor a joining process.
 15. The golf club head of claim 14, wherein thepolymeric material is a filled or unfilled polymeric material.
 16. Thegolf club head of claim 1, wherein the one or more weights can be formedinto the club head by overmolding the weights during the molding of oneof the crown or the sole.
 17. The golf club head of claim 1, wherein theone or more weights are disposed between the crown and the sole andadjacent a perimeter of the golf club head.
 18. The golf club head ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more weights can be metallic objects such asmetallic bands.
 19. The golf club head of claim 18, wherein the metallicbands may have a varying cross-sectional thickness.
 20. The golf clubhead of claim 19, wherein the body is a single, continuous piece.